Re: Please assume good faith
Thorsten Glaser <tg@mirbsd.de> writes:
> Lars Wirzenius <liw <at> liw.fi> writes:
>
>> I write a backup program. It uses its own storage format, and people
>> sometimes ask if they could use tar files instead. But I am evil
>> incarnate and FORCE them to use my own storage format instead. Should
> […]
>> can be, and I think that the storage format I've developed is better
>> than storing backups in tar files. I truly, deeply feel that using my
>> format makes the program better, and that offering tar as a choice
>> would be pretty much disastrous, because almost all of the features I
>
> This *is* bad because if there is an existing userbase with tar (which
> isn’t true in the obnam case, sure, but would be true if you were to
> try forbidding all other backup programs in Debian) this will break
> their use cases, and *that* is what the systemd situation is all
> about.
I don't understand this point of view. Even if there is an existing
userbase, I don't think that would obligate me (as the author) in any
way to support them in the future. If they do not like the changes I'm
making, they are free to stick with an older version (or fork the
program, or contribute patches). If you do not consider this a valid
option, would you also say that by publishing my code, I suddenly have
an obligation to maintain it forever? Since otherwise people would end
in the same situation in which they are if they don't agree with my
choices: they're stuck with an old, unmaintained version.
To cut a long story short, I am not convinced that by open sourcing my
code I am acquiring a moral obligation to take into account the
preferences of potential users in future versions - no matter how large
(or vocal) the userbase.
Best,
Nikolaus
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